This a review of TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES volume 1.

“In the future my son will lead mankind in a war against Skynet, a computer system programmed to destroy the world. It has sent machines back through time. Some to kill him, one to protect him. Today we fight to stop Skynet from ever being created. To change our future. To change his fate. The war to save mankind begins now!” Sarah Connor (Lena Headey)

The TERMINATOR franchise is getting as bad as the ALIEN one, there seems to be no end in sight of milking them for every last atom of money, credibility and creativity. There is a planned cinematic trilogy of films beginning with TERMINATOR SALVATION (out summer 2009), and now we have a TV show focusing on the mother of humanity’s last hope.

Call me cynical but Judgement Day was stopped at the end of TERMINATOR 2, with an uncertain, darkly lit road ending the film as a metaphor for fate not being set. TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES was an insipid, uninspired resurrection where JUDGEMENT DAY ended up happening after all, but at a later date. THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES continues from T2, with Judgement Day back on; because it seems humankind have a knack for creating homicidal artificial intelligence. As the terminators are stopped, the franchise purveyors find a new way to create the nuclear war. This could go on forever, like LOST, and removes all tension and replaces that sensation with tediousness. THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES is another nail in the coffin of the Terminator franchise. It looks cheap, with poor production values, weak acting, and is woefully written. The guys who play the terminators make Van Damme look like Laurence Olivier. Lena Headey does not have the raw physicality and anger of Linda Hamilton and Thomas Dekker’s John Connor is a pouty teen who pales next to Edward Furlong. One good thing is that the episodes are not stand alone, which is great for story arcs. If you want dystopian sci-fi TV check out the magnificent BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA remake, an allegory to the times we live in.